Ladybug Studio

Not a Good Day

Well, this day has started out poorly so far. I awoke with a stomach ache. It felt as though someone were poking all over my abdomen with sharp knives. Most uncomfortable. I went back to bed, laying on my stomach, for about 30 minutes. That helped, and I was able to finish with my morning routine and get to work.

Next, my nose started acting up. I've been blowing and blowing and blowing my nose. I don't know if it's allergies or if I'm coming down with something. But I'm starting to feel pretty miserable with a stuffy head and watery eyes.

I just hope this isn't an indication of what the weekend will be like.

Keeping Busy

Now yesterday was a lot more to my liking. I didn't play tennis, but I did do some running around after work, which kept me busy and out of trouble. Well, I guess that depends on what I mean by trouble. It kept me from moping around, snacking my way through the kitchen. But it also had me out spending money, which I shouldn't be doing.

Tennis is apparently really good for me, in more ways than one.

But anyway, back to yesterday. I got my hair trimmed right after work. Hard to believe I've had this cut long enough to need a trim, but I surely did. Things weren't going so well any more. I couldn't get it to poof and stick out like it's supposed to for the past week or so. Though, I did discover a new way to style it by just encouraging it to lie flat and soft. Nice to have options.

After the haircut I went to Target. I had a particular item in mind to purchase and I didn't deviate too much from the one thing. Again, it's all open to interpretation. Is a bag full of candy and snacks considered deviating? Hm. Yes, I guess it is. Plus, it goes right back to the sort of trouble I was trying to avoid in paragraph one. So while I didn't technically sit around snacking, I have now enabled a future day of snacking. There's just no stopping me, apparently.

The one item I had interest in buying at Target was an end table for the spare bedroom. I've been using a wooden folding tray as an end table, for the lamp, remote, drink and snack, etc. It's been doing the job fairly well, but I needed something with a lower shelf for my keepsake box. Which used to sit in the bookcase, until my expanding chick lit collection took over. The keepsake box is a fun thing. Basically a glass hinged box, it sits in a silver metal decorative frame. I put all kinds of nonsense and memorabilia in there.

There was a table in the latest Target ad that I thought would work for the spare bedroom, but on closer inspection, it was actually too large. However, I ended up finding the perfect table on another aisle. It's just the right size, has a drawer and a shelf. The color is pretty close to the other wood furniture in the room. And, as a bonus, this one came fully assembled. Mission accomplished.

On the way home, I stopped at Publix. I swear I end up in Publix every other day. Maybe I should get a part-time job there. Work for my groceries, save mileage and wear and tear on my car. I wasn't there long, but by the time I got home it was close to 7:00 and time to fix dinner.

So the events of the afternoon kept me busy and away from the snack foods, more or less. Now I just need to keep busy and not spend money.

Kosher

I just don't know what to do with myself when I don't have tennis in the afternoon. Yesterday doubles was canceled due to impending nasty weather, so I had the day free. But I was so bored. I went back to the spare bedroom and read my book for a while. (it's very good, by the way - hard to put down at times) Next I watched another episode of Boston Legal. Then I kind of wandered around the house, looking for something to do, but didn't want to do anything that needed doing.

Tom was in the garage, working on a modification for his car. He had removed the plastic trim pieces between the front and rear windows, covered them with carbon fiber, clear coated them and sanded them. There were actually several coats involved and lots of wet sanding. I dunno. But they turned out pretty well. So while Tom tooled away, I got out the detail spray and cleaned the bugs from the front of my car and then cleaned the windshield and the windows.

The interior of my car needs a good cleaning, but I wasn't quite motivated to get involved in that task. Perhaps I'll find time (and energy) one day this weekend.

Eventually I cooked dinner (Italian marinated grilled chicken and steamed broccoli and cauliflower) (Tom only ate chicken), cleaned up the kitchen, read for a little bit then fell asleep while Tom watched bicycle racing (Tour of California). Such an exciting evening.

* * * * *

Speaking of kosher - salt, that is - I read or heard something yesterday about removing coffee stains from the inside of mugs by rubbing with kosher salt. I tried it this morning on Tom's tea mug and it worked. I sprinkled some kosher salt on a wet sponge and rubbed on the stains. Voila! No more stains.

Watch This

Mondays come too quickly, don't they? Here we are with another one and the weekend is already in the past. No reason not to talk about it though.

One thing I did over the past couple of days was watch the first 8 episodes of Boston Legal, Season One. I can't believe I've been missing this show! It's highly entertaining, with interesting cases, a gorgeous law office and quirky, attractive characters. I guess I was expecting another version of L.A. Law, but not so. This show is really original and if you aren't watching, I suggest that you start. One of my coworkers bought the first three seasons and I will enjoy watching each and every episode.

Yes, we had our usual large sausage pizza from Stone Creek on Friday night. Moving on…

I was all set to play tennis on Saturday morning. Fortunately, I decided to take a look at the radar and weather report before starting to get ready. I'm not a good judge of weather and guessing what it's going to do, but it looked entirely too iffy, so I went back to bed. Turns out, I was right. I enjoyed getting some extra sleep, but I was disappointed all the same.

Joy brought her car over for Tom to work on (new struts) and while he had fun with that project, she and I went to Dad's house to do some work. Now that Glenna has completely vacated the house, we thought it would be smart to clean out the refrigerator and the cabinets, get rid of anything that might attract vermin or start smelling bad.

And oh my goodness. You wouldn't believe some of the old stuff we found. Mom died last year and wasn't in good health for a couple of years before. And obviously hadn't kept an updated cupboard for several years before that, either. We filled several large garbage bags with old stuff. Oh, and let's not forget the collection of margarine tubs and similar plastic containers. A child of the depression, Mums didn't like to throw anything away.

Next, we decided to clean out the bathroom. There we found lots of really old medications (1988!) and every makeup item she'd had for the past twenty years as well. We filled another garbage bag.

What's amazing is the amount of time it took the two of us to do this small amount of cleaning out. It makes my head spin to think of what we still have to do. We're talking about over 40 years of things that have accumulated, since my parents moved into their house.

Traffic Court

I've never been in a court room in my life, until this morning. I've never even served jury duty. Guess I've just been lucky so far. I wasn't in court for myself, though. I was there to give Tom moral support. He's never been to court either (though he has done jury duty). But he got himself a big time traffic ticket last month and therefore had to go to traffic court.

I'm sure in a larger city, going to court, even traffic court, would be a bit daunting. Actually, maybe it would only be daunting for some of us, because there were quite a few people who seemed pretty comfortable in court, like they'd been there plenty of times and the whole thing was old hat. I hope I don't sound too goody two shoes when I say that I'm glad it was a novel experience and I have plans to never repeat it.

Anyway, traffic court in the Titusville Historic Court House isn't a bit daunting. Other than not having a clue what to do and where to go. Once that was straightened out it was pretty unexciting. We sat in a small court room on very hard uncomfortable benches. We waited while they called people in alphabetical order. But the room wasn't very crowded and it only took about 45 minutes and then we were out of there.

Tom has to pay a hefty fine, but otherwise the judge was nice and fair.

I'm sure you're wondering about the citation that landed Tom in court. Well, he got it while being a good husband and trying to do something nice for me. The day my father died, I had planned on taking two hours vacation in order to wash my car. It was filthy dirty, but with my crazy hectic schedule at that time, I knew I wouldn't have the opportunity otherwise. But of course, the plans for the day changed drastically and washing my car was no longer on my mind. So Tom came by my father's house, where Joy and I were camped out calling people and writing Dad's obituary, and swapped cars with me. He then took my little car home so that he could wash it, as I had planned on doing.

But on the way home, traffic was particularly annoying. So he took a more scenic route that runs around Tico Airport. He was going pretty quickly, enjoying the curvy road. He came around the last corner and saw a state trooper at the intersection with the main road. Because Tom didn't realize the speed limit was only 25, he continued cruising along until the dreaded blue lights went on.

Yes, Tom was speeding and yes, ignorance of the speed limit is no excuse. However! The state trooper was an asshole. He could have given Tom and stern lecture and cited him for 29 mph over the speed limit, which would have cost dearly, but kept him from having to go to court. But he wrote it for 30. I honestly think the car Tom was driving had a lot to do with it. A lot of people assume that a person driving a Mercedes is rich and snooty and needs to be taken down a peg. Not so! We aren't rich and we aren't snooty and we can't easily afford a hefty ticket!

Also, what was a state trooper doing hanging out in the industrial park anyway? That should really be left to the Titusville Police Department. There is a fatal accident on I-95 in Brevard County practically once a week. Shouldn't the trooper have been out there, patrolling the highway?

I think he was sneaking around, having a nice lunch in his patrol car when Tom came along and disturbed him.

Never Say Never?

You probably know that I watch Survivor. I won't answer the phone on Thursday nights between 8:00 and 9:00, so I guess that makes me a fan. When the show first began, I thought it was the stupidest concept for a TV show ever. I couldn't understand all of the hubbub and the "water cooler" discussions amongst my coworkers. But the show sucked me in and now I look forward to watching it each week and discussing it the next day with Denise, via email.

But American Idol? Never gonna watch it. Never. I'm peripherally interested in how well the guy from Melbourne is doing, as there's been a bit about him in the newspaper lately. But otherwise, I'm just not interested. I hope these words don't come back to haunt me…

* * * * *

Space Shuttle Atlantis is back to KSC. She arrived safely this morning with a picture perfect landing. We all went outside to watch, not expecting to see much of anything, but hopeful. And we did see the shuttle flying over, high up in the clouds. It looks like an airplane, pretty much.

* * * * *

Doubles was good last night. Though we almost had to play Australian. One of our four didn't show up and we had just started playing when another player showed up. He thought he was subbing for someone at the other courts, but was mistaken. Since he was already dressed and ready to play, he came to KARS I to see if he was needed, so the timing was perfect. He's a better player than the three of us on our court, but not ridiculously so. In fact, his skill helped move me up a court next week, after we beat our opponents 6-0. Of course, I'll play my best next week, but I don't expect to stay for long. I'll be back down to my usual court soon, I expect.

Happy Birthday Joy!

Just in case you didn't know, today is my sister's birthday. I'm sorry it's happening on a Monday though. In my opinion, having a birthday on a Monday is such a let down. I turned 30 on a monday. Doesn't that just suck? Hm. I will be turning 40 on a Sunday. Not much better. Now, having a birthday on a Friday or Saturday is pretty good, but having one on a Wednesday or Thursday is the best. You can keep the celebration going over four or five days if you try. Who needs a birth day when you can have a birth week?

Well, it's time for the usual weekend roundup. I spent much of it shopping and/or walking around attempting to shop. Let me explain…

On Friday afternoon I went to Target for a few items, one being Shaper hairspray, which my stylists recommends. They had it, but only in a really tall bottle. Seriously tall, like 16" or something. I wasn't sure I'd have the strength to hold that bottle up and spray my hair. But I needed it so I bought it.

From there I went to the mall. I wanted to go to Macy's and check out some dishes that I saw on their website. (The Cellar Whiteware) They're pretty simple, plain white, though available square, which made them interesting. But they seemed rather clunky and heavy, not that wonderful after all.

Next I visited the Lancome counter because it's Gift Time and I always like to get something for free. Even if I don't have any use for it. I bought a couple of items that I needed and a lipstick that I did not. But it was pretty so that's good enough, right?

Still unhappy about the gigantic bottle of hairspray, I went to Trade Secret to see what they had available in the Shaper line and there was a Buy One Get One Free sale! And the bottles were normal sized, which meant I wouldn't sprain anything while spraying my 'do into place. So I bought the two bottles (only paying for one - score!) and took the oversized can back to Target. That would have driven Tom nuts, but I don't have a problem returning stuff.

I picked up a large sausage pizza from Stone Creek on the way home (yes, with ranch dipping sauce) and that's pretty much it for Friday.

On Saturday I got up early, but not to play tennis as usual. Instead I drove to Debary to spend the day with my good friend Jennifer. For several weeks we had planned to go to an Antique Extravaganza at Renninger's in Mt. Dora. We arrived around noon and ended up parking so far out in the parking area, we didn't think we'd ever see the car again. Wow, was that place crowded! We spent about five hours there and must have walked at least five miles. Neither of us bought very much. Jenn found a 1950's sewing book and a funky lamp, while I bought a silver mesh bracelet featuring an owl with amethyst colored eyes. (I'll take a photo and post it, because it's really neat) It was much hotter than we had expected so we ended up buying two snow cones each during the day.

But I do have a tale of woe to share regarding our outing.

Jenn is interested in Mid-Century modern architecture and furnishings. (as described by Wikipedia: Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes post-war developments in modern design from roughly 1945 to 1965.) Last month she visited the extravaganza and purchased a Heywood Wakefield buffet at one of the booths. It's a gorgeous piece, but I hadn't considered that I might find a Hey-Wake item for myself. However, while Jenn was checking out a bedroom set I poked around and found a great coffee table. Tom and I have been looking to replace our current coffee table for over 10 years now, but just haven't found anything we like. Modern, light colored wood, preferably with a drawer…

So I was very surprised to find just such a coffee table hiding out in a corner behind a group of three nesting tables. I thoroughly checked it out, then sought out the man who owned the furniture  and asked him for the measurements. Then a great discussion ensued regarding a coordinating end table. Jenn and I left the booth and I called Tom. I described the table to him and we decided that we should buy the table and eventually find a Hey-Wake end table to go with it.

Now - I should have gone right back there and bought the table. But with all of the outstanding items that were on display, it never occurred to me that someone else would want the rather plain coffee table hiding in the corner. But that's just what happened. After a bit more wandering and looking, Jenn and I returned to the booth and found that the coffee table had just been sold.

I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. It was unbelievable. How could I be so incredibly stupid? Finally, the perfect coffee table, after years of looking, and I let it get away. I tried to put on a good face for Jenn's sake, but I was feeling pretty blue at that point.

I finally shook it off with a little modern style retail therapy. On our way home from the extravaganza, we stopped at a mall and I bought a great pair of shoes at Dillard's. While trekking around the show, we noticed a woman with a cute pair of shoes and after I whispered and pointed, Jenn boldly walked up to the woman and asked about her footwear. She was thrilled to tell us about her Privo shoes and how comfortable they were. So I found a pair that were very similar and bought them in brown. They are super comfy and adorable. I think I'll get the black ones next.

Happy Heartburn Day

I hope my title isn't true for any of you. It's not true for me, thank goodness. Once the Thin Mints were gone, that was that. And I knew better than to crack open the second box. Tom and I didn't do anything special for the holiday. For one thing, we don't take Valentine's Day seriously. For another, he hasn't been feeling well this week and wouldn't have wanted to celebrate anyway.

So I had planned on cooking pork chops and stuffing. Easy and tasty, right? But the chops I had bought earlier in the week looked suspect. The Sell By Date was 2/15, so technically they should have been fine, but they looked a little bit grayish in spots and didn't smell fresh. Into the trash they went and we had Perdue BBQ Chicken Chunks instead. They're pretty tasty and not bad in the fat and calorie department either. But I really was in the mood for pork chops, dagnabbit.

I am so glad it's nearly the weekend. Tom and I stayed up to watch Lost, then went to bed. But I have been yawning my way through this day. It sucks. I used to stay up until at least 11:00 and I don't remember feeling this tired and sleepy all of the time. Now, I go to bed at 10:00. Maybe I need to go to bed at 9:00 or even 8:00. It's tough getting old.

Number 39 is just three weeks away. My last year in my thirties. I wonder if I'll care about turning 40 next year? It's just a number, after all. However, I have a feeling that I'm not going to like it.

* * * * *

Oh, it was a little bit like a birthday yesterday, because two items I had ordered recently were delivered. First the big box - a stainless steel corner shower caddy. I know I've mentioned before that I have quite a collection of shower gels, shampoos, facial soaps, etc. So I need lots of storage space in the shower. But I haven't had much luck with storage items. The first corner shower caddy we bought ended up rusting and the subsequent suction cup baskets have been disasters. I haven't found one yet that will stay on the wall and why do they always seem to fall down in the middle of the night?

When I found a nice corner caddy in a mail order catalog that advertised "stainless steel", I decided it was time to quit fooling around with the cheap crap and just spend the money. So far, I'm really glad I did. It came fully assembled (for which Tom was grateful). All I had to do was stand it up in the corner and start loading up the three shelves. I didn't even have to fiddle with the adjustable feet (for sloping shower floors), it was good to go. It's very sturdy and has a nice brushed nickel finish. As long as it doesn't start rusting, I will be enjoying it for many years to come.

The second box that was delivered yesterday contained two very nice, high quality, heavy gauge, warp proof, amazingly inexpensive baking sheets. They're standard half sheet cake size, so they will be fairly versatile. Finding these pans was a bit of good luck, because I'm not too fond of my current cookie and baking sheets, but hadn't thought about replacing them. They warp within one minute of being placed in the oven - *boing*

I found a great podcast on iTunes from Cooks Illustrated and the topic was Easier Butter Cookies and in the episode they also searched for the perfect baking sheet. I expected some crazy expensive pan and was surprised that their favorite was only $15. (I found it for $17.78 here) So I'm very excited about the new baking sheets and I'm getting rid of my crappy set immediately.

Oh, I also bought a large quantity of parchment paper sheets on ebay, because parchment paper is the cat's pajamas when it comes to baking.

Jenn - no I didn't practice my own advice yesterday. I had a singles match after work. But I tried to keep the running around to a minimum at least.

Happy Heart Day

Now remember, on this most sacred of holidays, you must not exercise! In fact, you should take advantage of National Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates Day and absolutely indulge in delectable treats. Godiva Chocolate, Conversation Hearts, Girl Scout Thin Mints - whatever floats your boat. Just make sure you don't over do it. I don't want you blaming me when you feel sick tomorrow.

Personally, I'm well into a box of Thin Mints. They are so addictive, they should be illegal. So crispy and deceptively light. The ratio of chocolate to mint is perfect, too. It's a shame they're only available once a year. But on the other hand, that's part of what makes them so special.

One of my coworkers is having the same control problem as me, so she gave me an unopened box of Thin Mints to take home to Tom. Ha! She seriously thinks Tom's going to get these cookies? No way - they're mine now. I'll wear them proudly on my hips next week.

* * * * *

There hasn't been much to write about these last couple of days. We had some rainy weather come through on Tuesday, which ruined my doubles league plans. But I was able to make up for it last night. Four of us from the Saturday tennis group got together for doubles. When I left work it was a stunningly gorgeous day. The sky was clear blue with just the most feathery of clouds smearing the sky here and there. The temperature was mild and I was excited to be playing tennis later that afternoon.

But, between then and when I left the house to head to the courts, the weather started to change. Dark clouds gathered, the wind whipped up and the temperature started dropping. I forged ahead though and so did the rest of the group. We warmed up once we started running around, but the wind continued to be a challenge. We had a great time though. The other three are fun people and the night was lively and entertaining, with a little bit of sport thrown in for balance.

Recap Time

A few weekend highlights…

Friday:
Almost every Friday night we have pizza. More often from Stone Creek, but sometimes from Valentino's. They're both really good, so it just depends on what we're in the mood from and whether or not we mind picking it up ourselves. Valentino's doesn't deliver, but they are willing to put mushrooms on one quarter of the pizza. That's a bonus in my opinion.

But lately we've been really digging a sausage pizza from Stone Creek. We generally get just cheese, because that's what Tom prefers and he usually eats the leftovers. But one night we were bored with that dull routine and ordered sausage. It was oh so yummy and now we're kind of hooked. This Friday was no exception and I picked up a large hand-tossed with sausage after running by Publix for a couple of items. Oh, and just to make it more decadent, I am now ordering ranch dipping sauce for the crusts. Very bad, but oh so good.

Saturday:
I played tennis on Saturday morning. I had been debating about whether or not to go and I admit, the idea of sleeping in was mighty tempting. But I hauled my lazy self out of bed and ended up being very glad that I did. Tennis was quite a lot of fun. I started with singles, since I'm kind of a slow starter in the mornings and generally feel very sorry for my doubles partner during the first set. I was lined up to play with a teenaged boy, who is a very good player. Fully expecting a butt kicking, I was totally surprised when it become a test of endurance. He did win eventually, but I went down fighting: 7-5.

After that set of singles, I spent the rest of the day playing doubles with a wide variety of people. One particular favorite was a man who was clearly way above my ability, but was so nice. He offered advice and even when I made a mistake, was able to praise something about what I had done correctly. Some better players get a little impatient with us who are still learning the game. It wasn't until I was driving home that I realized he is the man who I recently paid to string my racquet. I'm so observant, apparently.

Anyway, I played 6 sets of tennis and probably would have kept going, but I knew I had plenty to do at home. Good thing I quit though, because my body hadn't quite caught up and by the time I got home I was limping around. Guess my ankles took a bit of a beating.

I scarfed down the two leftover slices of pizza (sorry Tom!), took a shower, then set about cleaning the house while listening to my latest audiobook (The Girl Next Door, by Patricia MacDonald). I vacuumed the laundry room and kitchen, then mopped those floors. Then I vacuumed the living room and entry, then mopped the entry. Finally, I cleaned the spare bathroom and mopped the floor. That was enough for the day. Plus, it was the end of my audiobook. (pretty good listen, surprising whodunit).

Even though Tom and I had just been to Orlando last weekend, we headed over again because the watch I had left to be repaired at a store in the Florida Mall was ready to be picked up. We didn't spend a lot of time in the mall, strangely enough. We breezed through Coach, because that's a must. Didn't find anything that I just had to have, but did see a few items that were worth keeping in mind. Then we went to Auntie Ann's Pretzels so that Tom could get a snack. We looked in the Oakley store and then stopped in Hallmark for a birthday card for Tom's dad. Got my watch, of course, then left the mall. Almost disappointing as I didn't buy a thing.

On the way home we stopped at the Bennigan's on University and had a tasty meal there. Tom got the french dip and I got the Turkey O'Toole. Always a winner. We split a fried cheese appetizer, which was delicious, despite the fact that several of the sticks had exploded and the cheese was on the outside of the breading. Bennigan's was the first place that I ever had fried cheese and I still think theirs is the best. 

Sunday:
On Sunday I finished up the house cleaning, which included mopping the master bathroom floor, vacuuming the dining room and dusting everywhere. I made yet another trip to Publix to pick up supplies for Tom's Dad's birthday dinner. I swear I spend most of my money at Publix. Anyway, we had decided on lasagna for dinner. A good choice, as I was able to prepare it early and still have plenty of time for making cookies. I have been wanting to bake some for a long time now and I finally had a good opportunity.

I made Pioneer Woman's Oatmeal Crispies. They are really delicious. Though I left out the pecans and added Craisins to 1/2 of the batter. She has some great sounding recipes that are fully illustrated with gorgeous photos. Take a moment to check out her site. You won't be sorry. (just don't blame me for the extra calories!)

Girl Scout Cookie Alert!

I noticed Girl Scouts displaying their wares at Publix and Walgreens over the weekend. I was able to resist, but only because I had already ordered my cookies from a coworker. And also from a neighborhood girl. You can never have too many Thin Mints!